


Fighter

by Elillierose



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Blackmail, Blood, Broken Bones, Concussions, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pain, Torture, Violence, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 06:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21248783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elillierose/pseuds/Elillierose
Summary: The whole Russian torture scene was such a tease, I had to write a more detailed version. In this, only Steve is captured and questioned. This is purely for the fun of whump. So, if you were like me and was disappointed by the waste of potential, then this one is for you.





	1. One for the Team

**Author's Note:**

> My second Stranger Things fic, and second time tormenting poor Steve. Hope you all enjoy and lemme know what you think~ Uploading the whole fic at one, so there will be no waiting between chapters. :D
> 
> Beta read by: [DragonRiderSayomi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonRiderSayomi/pseuds/DragonRiderSayomi)
> 
> My [Tumblr](http://elillierose.tumblr.com/) for questions or concerns.

“Go!” Steve yelled after the others, back pressed firmly against the wall. Even will all his weight and strength pushing back on it, he could feel the door slipping. 

Dustin shook his head, waving the teen over. “No, we’re not leaving without you. Remember, you die, I die,” he replied, face set with determination. He continued to wave the other over.

“Dammit, kid,” Steve muttered with a low grunt when the door jolted against him. “Robin, get them the hell out of here!” He made no move to leave his current position and met the girl’s eyes. “Get them out of here, quick!” he demanded again. He wasn’t sure what it was: the desperation in his tone or the severity of the situation, but she gave him a nod.

Robin turned to face the others, hands on either of their shoulders. “Look, I don’t want to leave him either, but we  _ have  _ to go. We have to get you two out of here.” Dustin opened his mouth in protest, but she quickly shushed him. “No, we can get out of here and send help, but if we  _ all _ get captured, then  _ none _ of us are getting out of here.Understand?” Not that it mattered, she wasn’t giving them a real choice in the matter. 

“Just go already!”

“Don’t worry, we’re not gonna leave you down here!” Dustin yelled over, peering around Robin. “We’ll be back, just try not to die!”

Steve let out another growl and shoved himself against the door. “That’s great and all...but I can’t hold them back...forever.” One glance over and it was obviously a losing battle, so he was right about that much.

If either of the kids had more to say, they didn’t get the chance because Robin was true to her word and was already ushering the both of them, forcing the kids to go ahead of her. Before she disappeared down as well, she paused and offered Steve one last look. “We will get you out of here, I promise.” She slipped down, closing the hatch behind her. The last thing she heard before dropping down was the door finally being thrust open and more than one pair of feet stomping in. 

The three of them huddled down, falling silent to make out whatever sounds they could. It was muffled, but they could hear voices and a little bit of shuffling. So far, at least, no violent crashes or screams. That was a good sign, right? Robin held her hand up, gesturing for the others to stay quiet for a little while longer. No one was to move until things completely quieted. If they got caught now, then Steve giving himself up would have been all for nothing.

“Shhhhh,” she whispered as footsteps and what she assumed was the sound of dragging could be heard echoing down “Ok, I think the coast is clear,” she muttered after a few seconds passed without a single sound. “We have to get out of here fast and contact the police.”

“Well, duh,” Erika shot back. “Don’t know what else you thought we were going to do.” 

“Look, with the situation we’re in right now, the last thing we need is your sass, alright?” Robin near hissed. “Now, we need to stop wasting time and get a move on. Time isn’t exactly on our side here.” She snapped her fingers and waved them along. “Go on.” There was a bit of mumbling from Erika, but nothing said too loudly. 

The whole time they moved, Dustin was awfully quiet. He trailed at the back, glancing back here and there.

“Hey,” Robin called back, surprisingly soft, “He’s gonna be alright. He’s an idiot, but he’s a tough one.

“Oh, trust me, I know,” he said lightly. “Trust me, I’ve seen him get his face bashed in, so I know he’s at least durable. However,  _ this, _ this is different. We’re leaving him behind in a Russian facility. Evil Russians at that. There’s no telling what they’re capable of.”

Erika cleared her throat, “Well, clearly not capable of much if two kids and a couple of ice cream scoopers could weasel their way in with little effort. If their security is that loose, I doubt their competence. 

Dustin took in a deep breath and slowly released it. “Erika, I think you’re seriously underestimating the situation here.” He pressed his hands together and leaned forward slightly. “We infiltrated an underground Russian base clearly doing some illegal and serious shit, and they have Steve right now. I’m sure they aren’t happy. This has zero to do with how we managed to get down here in the fi-”

“Both of you, that’s enough!” Robin hushed. “You can argue about it later, but the longer you do so here, the longer it will be before we get help, got it? Right now, the priority is getting you two out. That’s what I said I was gonna do, and that’s exactly what I intend on doing.” 

The others exchanged a look, Erika rolling her eyes, but they both nodded and quit their bickering for the time being. With a huff, the teen carried on, trying to hide her growing panic as she did so. She couldn’t freak out, not here and not yet. 

* * *

“H-Hey guys,” Steve stuttered and forced a smile as around four guys gathered around him. He held his hands up in surrender and swallowed thickly. “It’s, uh, not what it looks like?” His smile faltered as a pair of hands grabbed his upper arms and hauled him to his feet. 

One guy stepped forward to stand in front of him. Slowly, he looked the teen over, brows furrowed in either confusion or suspicion. “I think we need to have a little talk,” he said and gave Steve a condescending pat on the cheek. He flinched away out of instinct. He muttered something Steve couldn’t understand and just like that, they were leading him away, barely allowing him to get his footing. 

“Where are you taking me?” 

No answer.

“Hey!” he yelled, heart thrumming now. “Where the hell are we going? What ar-” his words were cut off with a swift and sharp strike to the face, lurching his head to the side. His breath caught with the surprise, but he cut his eyes over to see the guy who spoke earlier holding a silencing finger to his mouth.

“No speaking yet, there will be time for plenty of that.” He offered a beaming smile, one that made Steve’s skin crawl. 

For the rest of the walking, he stayed quiet, but that only meant more scenarios and possibilities had time to roam freely through his mind. What they hell were they going to do? He had ideas, none of them more pleasant than the others. At least he had a chance to look around at his surroundings, not that there was much variety to be seen. Even worse was the fact that there was nothing that caught his eye that would help him out of this mess. There wasn’t much of anything, really. 

Despite what happened the last time, he opened his mouth to speak again. This time, however, he never got a single syllable out before they came to a jarring stop. His attention snapped forward in time for a door to swing open and for him to be thrown to the floor. Hard enough to knock the air out of him.

“The hell!?” he wheezed, only for it to tighten into a gasp with the vice-like grip that grabbed his hair. None too gently, his head was forced back, eyes forced to look up into that same smug face.

Without hesitation, and without loosening his hold, he crouched to Steve’s level. “How did you get in here?”

Steve’s eyes darted from him to the two men standing behind and back. A nervous chuckle left his lips. “Uh, it’s, a uh, funny story. I don’t actually kno-” Another strike, this one stinging far worse now that his head was made to stay still. “Will you let me finish!?” he blurted out, voice a higher pitch. “I don’t know  _ exactly _ how I got here, alright?” He held his breath, eyes already half closed in preparation for another hit. But, to his relief, another sound greeted him, one that sounded almost like amused laughing.

Eyes wide, Steve just stared, unsure of how he should be reacting. Then, just as quickly as it started, it stopped.

“You mean to tell me, you just ended up down here by mistake?”

Slowly, as much as he was allowed, Steve nodded. “Y-Yeah. I-I don’t even know what this place is, and I forget easily, very easily,” he continued to nod. “In fact, I’m sure I’ll forget all about this place the moment I get back.” He pointed towards the ceiling and gave a tight smile. “So, uh, what-what do ya say?” he asked much quieter.

“I say,” the other leaned in closer, to the point Steve could feel his breath on his ear, “this is going to be fun.” He got back to his feet, finally letting go of Steve’s hair and snapped his fingers. Just like before, he was hefted up by his upper arms, only this time he was deposited on a bench and turned enough where they could yank his arms behind his back. The teen let out a low hiss as his wrists were tightly bound.

“You don’t have to do this!” he half-pleaded, pulling slightly to test the rope’s strength. And, of course, there was no way he saw himself getting out of those. “Y-You can just let me go, and I won’t say a word, zip, nothing. You’ll never even see or hear of me again. Come on, man, I’m re- shit!” he sucked in, doubling over from the punch he received to the ribs. His teeth sank into his lower lip in an attempt to hold back a small whimper.

“This will only be as bad as you choose to make it,” the man muttered, hands crossed behind his back. “Let’s try a different question. Who are you?”

Steve raised his head and peered up through his stray strands of hair, knocked down to hang in his face. He glanced down to his shirt and back up. “It’s on my name tag.”

The man only gave it a second of his attention before facing one of the others and cocking his head towards the teen. Steve almost let out a groan knowing where this was leading. Just as he expected, one of the larger men pulled an arm back and swung it forward, right across his cheek bone. 

“I didn’t ask for your name, I asked who you are.”

Steve sucked in a breath and lightly coughed it back out. “What’s the difference!? I’m Steve, I work in the mall, what else do you need to know?” He tried to sit up straighter, but he could already tell there was a bruise developing on his torso. 

“I want to know who you are, who sent you?” the Russian seethed through clenched teeth, honestly making Steve flinch slightly.

Steve rolled his head back and released a deep sigh. “I just said I work at the mall! Scoops Ahoy! What’s not to get!?” His breaths were coming in pants, chest tightening when none of their expressions so much as twitched. “What else do you need to know. Because that’s all I got, I swear.”

The main of the three, who Steve assumed to be the leader of sorts, straightened up and rubbed his hands together as he began pacing. He hummed lowly to himself, eyes cast downward. “I find it impressive that just a mall worker could find his way down here, so please excuse me for being skeptical. So, how about telling me how you really found this place, hm?” He crouched back down in front of the teen who instinctively pulled away. But, he didn’t get far with the tight grip on his arm.

“I just told you, I found it by accid-” he grunted with the next hit. “Will you  _ stop _ that!?” He kept his eyes closed as he continued. “I found it by accident, alright? Supplies didn’t come in, so I went looking, and your damn elevator broke and fell all the way down here. Is that what you wanna know? This wouldn’t be a problem if you made better elevat-” another resounding strike echoed off the walls. “W-What the h-hell, man?” he wheezed. 

“I am a very patient man, so I’m willing to take as long as this is going to take. Maybe all you need is a bit of...convincing.” The corner of his mouth turned slightly upward and he turned his back to Steve. “I’ll give you some time to think.” And with that, he snapped his fingers, signalling for the other two to step forward. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, that should be plenty of time.”

“Wh-What are you talking about, I just told you what I know! Hey!” He didn’t get a chance to say much more before he was gone, leaving the teen alone with his two goons, or at least, Steve assumed they were. He glanced to either of them. “So, uh, you two been working here long, or?”

No answer, but the one to his left did crack his knuckles and Steve outwardly groaned a second before the fist made contact. Right across his left cheekbone...again. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he might have heard a dull crack as colors burst in his vision. Thankfully, the next few landed elsewhere, as well as a few to his torso again. He was convinced this went on for a few minutes until they finally stopped, leaving him leaned forward and desperate to draw in a deep breath. 

Every inhale was a pained gasp and every exhale was stuttered and uneven. Eyes still closed, he spit something to the floor, something he had no doubt had to be blood. They weren’t holding back, that much was for sure. On the bright side, much of this and most of his face would be numb enough not to feel much of anything. That or he’d finally pass out and have some moments’ peace. Sort of. 

There wasn’t much opportunity for thinking. Again, his head was forced back, and he winced when the light hit his half-lidded eyes. He said nothing, couldn’t get his breath long enough to even think about speaking right then. Steve was given a light pat on the cheek, almost mockingly and his hair was released, dropping his head back to his chest.

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, but he was thankful for every drawn-out second the wait lasted. He just focused on getting his breathing under control. It took a while and more than one gasp and hiss, but eventually it was somewhat normal. Just in time too when he vaguely made out the scraping of a door opening. The teen didn’t bother looking up, wasn’t sure if he wanted to. He already knew exactly who it was. 

There was no need for him to lift his head though, not when this guy was going to do it for him. Thin fingers caressed his chin, and slowly lifted his head up. Things were slightly blurry, but Steve could easily make out this man’s face as they met one another’s gaze.

Another smile crept across his face and lowly - almost whispering - he asked, “Who do you work for?”

The sound that came from Steve’s throat even surprised him. It was a low, humorless chuckle. But, you either laugh or cry, right? He obviously chose the former. To be fair, this whole situation was kind of funny...in a weird, messed up way. 

“I told you,” he finally spoke. “I work for...Scoops Ahoy,” he whispered. There were a few moments of silence, a quiet that chilled his bones. He was vaguely aware of the slight trembling in the man’s hand, and yet, his face remained unchanged. He debated whether or not is was safe to even breathe. 

Then, just as suddenly, the man let out a small laugh of his own. Finally, Steve released a breath as his mouth twitched. 

“You’re a funny one,” the man muttered, wiping at his eye with his free hand. He pointed at Steve with another soft chuckle. “Real amusing.” Just like that, his face deadpanned again. “But, I still want a real answer.”

Steve’s expression completely fell and his chest completely collapsed, or he was sure it did. He swallowed thickly. “That is my answer,” he replied flatly with a small shake of his head. “I work for a damn ice cream shop, I mean look at me! Look at the outfit! Youthink I would choose to wear this?! I’m a goddamn ice cream sailor!”

The only sound in the room was his own ragged breathing again. A solo sound that didn’t last long when another strike resounded off the walls; this one right to the jaw, and he prayed silently that nothing there broke. There was no fighting back the whimper that escaped. He kept his head to the side as his hair fully fell around his face, completely shielding his view of the others. 

“I’ve been very patient with you...Steve,” he said flatly, hand returning to its previous hold on his chin. He flinched at the touch - it was oddly cold. “But even my patience wears thin, and you’re treading on very... _ very  _ thin ice as it is. This can be easier for the both of us if you only make it so. 

Steve had no idea what his expression must have portrayed, but whatever it was clearly wasn’t what they wanted to see. A scowl graced the other’s features and he pushed himself to his feet, clapping his hands together. Again, he spoke something the teen couldn’t understand. But, even with the language barrier, the tone didn’t leave a pleasant taste in his mouth - or maybe that was just the taste of the blood. He didn’t have much time to ponder what was being discussed, any thoughts he may have had were jarred out of place by another, finishing blow to the head.


	2. A Bit of Convincing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by: [DragonRiderSayomi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonRiderSayomi/pseuds/DragonRiderSayomi)
> 
> My [Tumblr](http://elillierose.tumblr.com/) for questions or concerns.

Everything hurt. Well, hurt might have been the understatement of the century. Everything throbbed, pulsing all the way up to his skull. Steve let out a very uncharacteristic whine, one that he was sure couldn’t have actually come from him. No way did he sound that pitiful. But if the raking in his throat had anything to do with it, there was nowhere else it could have come from. He didn’t risk moving yet just in case; not with all of the recent memories still painfully fresh in his mind. 

Ringing assaulted his ears and without needing to open his eyes, he could already tell the world was still spinning around him. Carefully, he wiggled a small bit, and to his dismay, he was still bound. Actually, he was more securely bound than he remembered. Alarms began signalling off in his head. 

Despite everything within him warning against it, his eyes snapped open. Huge mistake. The moment they opened, nausea crept up his throat, forcing him to squeeze them back shut. Now that his gaze had a taste of light, he couldn’t help but notice how the fluorescent lights continued to pierce his eyes. It was impossible to ignore, and he found himself bowing his head as much as he could in an attempt to escape it. 

He had to manually take slow and deep breaths to calm himself, regardless of how much they caused his ribs to ache.

‘Alright, you got this,’ he tried to tell himself between labored intakes. Slowly, he cracked one eye open, or as much as he could. The swelling was making it difficult to even see out of. Ok, one down, and gradually he got the other halfway there. That was good enough, that would give him a chance to get used to the lighting. Though, it was already taking far too long than he cared for.

Steve coughed lightly - another mistake when pain rippled across his torso like heated talons. He choked back a cry and held his breath until the worst of it passed. So, that confirmed his theory of a rib or two being at least cracked. Once he had his breath somewhat under control, he lifted his head a little more and instantly was aware of the change of surroundings. 

Did they really drag him to a different room? It was definitely brighter than the last, and a quick glance down revealed he was now strapped firmly to a chair and his hands were bound around the back. Getting out of this would be no easy feat, if possible. He gave every limb a hard tug, and there wasn’t so much as an inch of give to any of them. A small growl clambered it’s way out of his throat from another attempt. The only thing stopping him from pushing further was the bite of the leather in his wrists. 

Giving up with a huff, Steve relaxed as much as he could. He needed to calm down, he knew he did, but everything in his being was screaming at him to do whatever it took to get the hell out. The teen leaned his head back and just tried to think. But that was difficult when his head still wouldn’t stop with its incessant pounding. 

Then there was the question of how long was he out for? How long was he down here? So many questions swarmed his mind they overshadowed the thoughts he needed to prioritize...like a way out of here. He gave his head a slight shake to jumble his thoughts in the right order, but that only served in intensifying the throbs bouncing around in there. Needless to say, he got little to no real thinking accomplished in the small amount of time he had alone.

And it was clear he wasn’t getting any more thinking in because from the sounds of it, he was about to have some visitors. That was confirmed when the buzzer sounded. His head rolled to the side, giving him a perfect view of the door as it slid open and a few familiar faces strolled in. Steve tried his best, but he was pretty sure he failed at hiding his dismay.

“Are you finally ready for talking?” the man asked, grabbing an extra chair and sliding it over. The scraping over the floor caused the teen to cringe. 

Steve remained silent, but his gaze never strayed from the man. His jaw was set and every muscle in him rigid. He was barely aware of how stunted his breaths were since they walked in. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the others walking to his other side, one of them dragging a table over and dropping something on top. The teen was almost too afraid to investigate. He wouldn’t have either if it wasn’t for that gleam catching his full attention.

Eyes fully widened now, he turned to gaze upon the assortment of supplies laid out on the surface.

“W-What are those?” he stuttered, gaze drifting from pliers to a scalpel, and...was that a saw? His head snapped back around to the head guy, whose face shone with excitement.

The man clicked his tongue and gave Steve that same patronizing pat on the cheek, one he felt through his whole face. This only seemed to please the other. “Don’t worry about that. They’re only there in case you decide to continue to be difficult. You know, for a bit of convincing if we need it.”

“C-Convincing?” Steve repeated. If they didn’t kill him first, he was sure to die of a heart attack with how fast his heart was thrumming against his aching ribs. “What does...what does that mean? You mean like...intimidation, right?”

“Sure.”

Steve turned back to the table, eyes unable to leave all the tools. There was no way, right? No way in hell they actually intended to use those. Beating someone to unconsciousness was one thing, but there had to have been a line somewhere. He didn’t want to think they were actually willing to cross that line. Though…

Steve’s stare stayed as it was, even as the man got back to his feet and strolled around to stand behind him. A chill jolted through him when a light touch that slithered across the back of his neck. Naturally, he tried to finch away from the touch, but the binds left little room for movement. This, of course, elicited a small chuckle from the man.

“Relax, you’re so jumpy.” But, he removed his hands, and Steve jumped again when a loud clap sounded from behind. “I’ll ask again, who do you work for?”

“Are we really going through this again!?” Steve exclaimed, leaning forward as much as possible. “Already told you! I work for Scoops Ahoy, I’m tellin’ you the truth, why the hell would I lie at this point!?” His breaths came in shallow and fast. “I don’t know what else you’re expecting to hear.” He huffed out through his nose, jaw tense in preparation. His shoulders relaxed marginally when no reprimandation fell upon him. Slowly, a glance was risked.

The others had barely moved from their spots. They exchanged looks with one another though, as well as a few hushed words. Steve wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or not from the lack of punishment at that point. 

“W-What’s going on?” he asked. His voice was a few pitches off, but he honestly did not give a shit.

They only offered him a quick sideways glance and continued talking and nodding before it seemed as though they came to some sort of conclusion. One of them stepped next to the table, hand hovering over the various utensils as if in thought. Steve’s heart sped up by about fifty percent as he watched. 

“Hey, hey now, whatever you’re thinking, there’s no need!” he tried, back to pulling against his binds - a useless struggle. “I told you all I know, I told you the truth, so the answers won’t change regardless. You’re just going to waste your time! Hey, are you even listening to m-” His desperate cries muffled as a hand clamped over his mouth and a shush was whispered in his ear.

“Calm down before you make this worse than it has to be, now, yeah?”

The teen couldn’t hold back the whimpers that managed to filter through the man’s fingers. His eyes pricked slightly, but he refused to look at the larger man who was now picking something up. He didn’t want to know what he had or what his plans were. But, he didn’t know what was worse, looking at that or staring in the other’s hardened, cold eyes. He didn’t even need to look to figure out what was going on; the chilling bite that clamped around his left index was plenty.

Already he was lightheaded, trying to curl his fingers away, but the grasp was too strong. That and the man’s free hand grabbed a hold of his wrist, hindering what little movement he had. All he could do was shake his head in silent begs, hoping that plus his near sobs would be enough to get the message across. Either it didn’t get through or they honestly didn’t care. 

“Don’t worry, he’ll make this fast.”

The words barely had a chance to register in Steve’s jumbled mind because a fraction of a second later, every sliver of logic was gone, chased away by the sharp crack and searing pain that sparked in his finger. His eyes screwed shut, teeth dug into his lower lip until he tasted blood. There wasn’t a chance to catch his breath or calm down when the sound echoed. Blossoms of colors threatened to spread across his vision. 

Vaguely, he could hear a few mutterings, but they were warped, wavering in and out of focus. He was even less aware of the hand cupping the side of his face for a few seconds, not until it shifted and a thumb manually pulled down. It took a moment for his face to finally focus, and when it did, both his eyes were open. 

“Are you ready to answer honestly now?” He asked, snatching his hand away, the only thing keeping Steve’s head upright. 

Steve only glared at him, brows - he assumed - furrowed. He pressed his lips together and exhaled heavily through his nose. There was the debate of if he should just answer like he’s been doing, which  _ was _ the truth or if he should make some shit up to get them off his back. If he chose the latter, there was still the risk of them knowing it was a lie, and then what? To be fair, they already thought he was lying…

“Yes,” he finally hissed out.

Smirking, the man placed either hand over Steve’s wrists and leaned forward, staring him straight in the eyes. “Who are you, and who do you work for?” His words were quiet, precise and direct.

The teen drew in a shuddering breath and willed himself not to blink or flinch, and with the clearest voice he could, he replied, “My name is Steve, and I work for Scoops Ahoy at Starcourt Mall.” He held his gaze, hoping it would eventually get through to them that he wasn’t some enemy spy that infiltrated his way in like that were so pressed on believing. 

There was something in his eyes that had Steve’s blood freezing and had him swallowing repulsively in anticipation. Like a snake, the man’s hand struck, right to the side of Steve’s face, and he realized that was the first time he actually hit him. The moment after, he grasped his hair and yanked the teen’s head back, who gasped with the force of it. However, all breathing halted at the icy sensation tickling his neck. His tongue flicked dry lips nervously. There was a slight sting and the itch of something drizzling down.

“This is a dangerous game you’re playing here, boy.”

Steve knew he shouldn’t have, before the first word even left his lips, he knew he was making a massive mistake. “Good thing my schedule is pretty clear then, I got all the time in the world.” His words were quiet, afraid that speaking too loud would drive the blade deeper.

Without breaking eye contact, he spoke quickly in Russian. Still holding his gaze, he stayed there and kept Steve’s attention as the other clamped the pliers down on his ring finger. It took every ounce of his waning willpower for the teen to keep from watching, to keep his focus on the man before him. It was a little late for the tough act considering how he reacted earlier, but he was determined. 

That resolution lasted a whole two seconds. All it took for that initial ‘snap’ for all of his composure to crumble around him. And this time, there was no hesitation before he moved on to the fourth finger, and then finally the thumb. One after another, all fingers were rendered useless. The last one was the worst, almost enough to sap his consciousness away from him. He was sure adrenaline was the only thing keeping him awake, the fear of what he would wake up to if he were to pass out again. 

He grit his teeth through the waves of fire, ignoring the fact that his throat was burning and his jaw was aching from clenching. Eventually the pain ebbed away into a faint, persistent throb, but any slight twitch was enough to launch it back to the forefront of his mind. Either way, it was at the point where he could ignore it if he tried.

When he appeared lucid enough, the man spoke with venom, “There is a lot more where that came from, we’re being generous right now.”

“H-How courteous,” Steve stammered weakly. “Really appreciate the hospi-hospitality.” He quickly flashed crimson stained teeth A smile that fell right back away when the expression pulled uncomfortably. He spit to the floor, internally wincing to see it tinged with red. 

He intentionally avoided looking directly at his hand, wasn’t sure he could stomach looking at fingers he knew to be mangled at the moment. Just the thought had his insides twisting. There was no doubt every one of them was broken, if the sounds were anything to go by and the numbness that was starting to set in. 

“Keep in mind, this was the most mild interrogation tactics in store. Keep that in mind from this point forward.” Something must have flashed in Steve’s eyes for the man to chuckle lightly. “But, we don’t intend on killing you, rest assured. Not yet anyway. But so long as you cooperate, your stay here will be a lot less painful, do you understand.”

Steve slowly shook his head. “No...I really don’t.” His voice quivered. “I don’t even have a damn clue what’s going on! I haven’t since your damn elevator! I didn’t even have a clue about that goddamn secret code you guys were rambling on about over the…” Steve trailed off, every inch of him freezing and eyes cutting up. But it was too late, he already said too much.

“Shit,” he mumbled, rolling his head back. 

“Code?” the man asked, a new glimmer in his eyes.


	3. What Code?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta read by: [DragonRiderSayomi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonRiderSayomi/pseuds/DragonRiderSayomi)
> 
> My [Tumblr](http://elillierose.tumblr.com/) for questions or concerns.

“Code?” the man repeated, and the entire atmosphere in the room shifted. Steve had to suppress a shudder from the look in his eyes. “What code?”

The teen froze for a couple seconds, long enough to internally curse himself. “Uhhh, code? I don’t know what you’re talking about, I don’t know anything about a code.” He turned his attention to the other man, “D-Do you know anything about a co-” He gasped in a tight breath from the impact and his ribcage cried in protest. 

“Stop with the lies,” he seethed, grabbing Steve’s face until his nails were digging into his cheeks. “What do you know about a code?” He spat out the question and jerked his hand away, pulling a whine with it.

Steve rotated his jaw a bit, wincing slightly. Then, slowly, he met the older man’s gaze. His throat was tight, but he managed to get something out after a couple seconds. “I-I don’t know anything other than you guys spouting it. I dunno what it means, I didn’t decipher it. How many times will it take for you to get it. I know  _ nothing! _ ” He was damn near breathless, but this was getting ridiculous. “There was something about a silver cat? A week? A bunch of nonsense if you ask me.”

He swallowed harshly, trying not to give way to the fact that even that was uncomfortable now. This guy was hard to read, actually damn near impossible. It didn’t help that his emotions seemed to flip on a dime. Even now, despite him appearing as though he was buying it for a moment, Steve doubted he really was. That became more apparent when he turned and muttered something else to the other man, more instructions in Russian, he assumed.

“Come on,” Steve rasped, head falling forward. “Don’t you think if I knew anything, I would have talked by now?” It was so reserved, he couldn’t be sure if they heard him or not. He supposed it didn’t matter, not like they were listening anyway.

He didn’t bother looking to see what they were up to this time, but he sure as hell was all too aware of the shuffling and rummaging. There sure were a lot of metallic noises that he wasn’t very fond of. All it did was remind him of the throbbing in his fingers, a pain that dulled thanks to his increasing panic. 

His head snapped up and eyes flew open when the cold touch of merciless hands grabbed hold just above his right ankle. They wasted no time yanking his shoe and sock off, tossing it aside.

“Whoa, hey now...w-what are you…” his words faded, heart leaping into his throat at the sight of a flame lighting a few inches from his face. A torch. Neither of them looked his way, didn’t acknowledge his silent begging nor his feeble attempts to kick them away. When the flame was a mere few centimeters away, he squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath. But, no amount of preparation was going to prepare him for the scorching agony that screamed all the way up his leg. White flashed before his eyes, and for a split moment, he was positive he was either going to pass out or straight up die from the pain. Of course, he was of no use to them if either of those happened, so they knew the perfect time to cease.

He was left sitting there for about a minute, everything wavering in and out of focus: hearing, sight, thoughts, everything. Slowly, painstakingly, things started to settle and the first thing to strike him was the godawful scent. Just knowing where it was coming from caused acid to burn at the base of his throat. The only way to avoid it was to breathe out of his mouth, but that just irritated the split in his lip. Still, it was preferred over the alternative. 

Steve hardly reacted to his head being lifted, probably wouldn’t have noticed if the previous scent wasn’t replaced by breath. “How do you know about that code?” the man said lowly, yet sharply.

He hated it, despised how long it took for the question to register in hs swimming head. “Code?” he croaked before it dawned on him. “Oh, you...you mean that  _ shit _ you commies were spoutin’ all o-over the goddamn...radio? That code?” He forced a weak smile. “Y-Yeah...a damn  _ kid _ picked it up.” He took a shuddering breath and muttered under his breath, “Buncha dumbasses.” A small grunt escaped from the grasp that yanked him forward by his collar.

“Who?”

Steve did his best to shrug. “D-Doesn’t matter, they’re looooong gone.” He cleared his throat with a wince. “A-And I bet that...any minute now...the army who who ever d-deals with this sort of stuff will be busting their way in...guns-a-blazin’.” As much as he knew he’d probably regret it, he couldn’t prevent the amused chuckle at the man’s face.

“Who else knows?” He gave the teen a violent shake, hands shaking. “Give me names.”

Steve furrowed his brows, expression falling back into a more serious one and he just shook his head slowly. Just as he gave his refusal, his gaze flicked back to the torch as it came back to life. There was no warning, no hesitation; their impatience was reflecting perfectly with their loss of composure. The flame was moved to lick the other side of his foot. Steve wasn’t sure why, but round two was so much worse than the first. Maybe they held it closer, or held it longer. He would assume it lasted longer, but time was something he could no longer keep up with well enough to determine. 

They didn’t stop though, not until they ran the flame from one end of his foot to the other, all the way along the length of the outside. The pain lingered making it near impossible to tell when exactly they stopped. But if he didn’t see a glimpse of the torch after it was pulled away, he would have sworn it was still there.

His foot was absolutely on fire; he had to hold his breath to keep it under control for about a minute. So concentrated on his composure, he was startled at the touch on his face and reeled away from it with a hiss. There was no telling how much more of this he could tolerate. It was already a struggle to keep what little he knew about all this, not that it was much, but he  _ had _ to make sure the others could get out and notify anyone what was going on, he had to buy them all the time he could.

He could do that.

Steve slowly looked the man in the eyes and focused what little he could. There was a small groan, and as much as he wanted to deny it came from him, there was no doubt.

“I told you...give...me….names,” he nearly growled.

The teen licked cracked and red-tinged lips, cringing at the metallic taste. “W-What names?” he asked, eyes slipping closed. A solid shake and he forced one of them to crack back open a sliver. “I dunno, I dunno who they were.” He gave a half shrug and let his head loll to the side. 

“Tell me!”

Another strike to his face, hard and fast, completely catching him off guard. Stars sparked in his vision as everything careened to the side. It took a second before he made contact with the floor to realized he was falling; the whole chair was. Just in time when the collision sent a jolt through his whole body. It jarred his aching ribs, his still throbbing fingers and his swimming head. It was enough to put him on the brink of passing out. To be honest, he kind of wanted to welcome it now. At least it would be a break from all this.

Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t going to be allowed that luxury, especially not with the undeniable and crushing pressure on the side of his head. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know it was a boot, twisting and grinding against his temple. He let out a pained groan that transitioned into a pitched whine.

His head pulsed with every additional ounce the man shifted over; his ears began to ring to a deafening degree. Just when he thought his head was actually going to split open, the pressure plateaued. Then was when he took the risk to take a look, and he instantly wished he hadn’t, or had taken the invitation to unconsciousness when he had the chance. 

Steve’s bleary gaze sluggishly locked onto the thing in the man’s hand, hanging just a few inches from his face. It glimmered and the sharpened edge sliced straight through to his fear. He crouched, foot still heavy on the teen’s head as he leaned in. 

“You don’t really need both your eyes, do you?”

Those words hardly had time to register before Steve was fighting against his binds, and this time, he didn’t give a damn how much they dug into his limbs. Every struggle and desperate pull was in vain, and it only caused the others to chuckle at the spectacle. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick. Or...we could avoid this altogether if you just be a little more honest with me.” He turned the scalpel in his hand, eyesing it as the light glistened off, flashing in his captive’s stare. “I’ll give you a moment to consider, but if need be, I’m sure I can help you make that decision.” He lowered the blade until it’s cool edge barely touched Steve’s left cheek, and with a small flick, a trickle of blood was trailing down his face. There was a slight wince with the sting, but not much reaction beyond that.

The teen breathed heavily through his nose, trying to keep it slow but failing horribly. His eyes never left the tool when it shifted to the other side. The second slice was definitely deeper, eliciting a much stronger reaction. A whimper filtered between clenched teeth and he flinched, breath hitching. 

“5….4….3….”

Steve held his breath, eyes finally moving from the blade to the man’s gaze.

“2…”

He held firm and tried to ignore the fact that his heart was trying to break every intact rib he had left. Just a slow shake of his head and,

“1…”

His hair was grabbed from behind, he could only assume the other man had rounded to the back at some point; his other hand gripped his chin, effectively holding his head still. Without moving an inch, it was clear he wasn’t going anywhere, but that sure as hell didn’t prevent him from giving his best effort. Of course he tried to jerk his head away, only making the hold on it that much stronger. He tried to squeeze his eyes shut, tried to buck, tried to twist in anyway possible. With his hair and chin grabbed, and with that boot still pinning his head, it was all useless. 

And the man in charge still had one hand available, one he used to forcibly pry open Steve’s left eye.

“No!” he cried out, not caring about the way his voice cracked or the pitch it carried. “S-Stop! No no no! I don’t know anything! Trust me, I would have talked by now, don’t you think? Come on! D-Don-” He sucked in a deep and wet breath only for it to be exhaled right back out, thick with an agonized scream. It was long, stretching into a sob by the time he gasped in another breath.

It was searing, the sting, the burn, colors wavered as the blade sank deeper, dulled and muddied as the pain pierced farther. As the pain evened and started to ebb, he didn’t know if that was good or not. He was thankful for it, for sure, but that could only mean one thing…

All his senses were dimming. They were talking though, that much he knew, but it was broken and he could know longer determine in what language they were speaking. He was finding it hard to care though. Right now, all he really craved was sleep. There was no fighting the temptation for a second time as he leaned into it and more of his accumulated discomforts began to wane.

The last thing his mangled mind could make out was the sensation of being shifted and the departure of the cold, metal floor.

* * *

Why the hell was breathing so hard? Why was even the simple task of thinking so tediously painful? Steve took a deep breath, an inhale that sent all the signals back through his body, and one by one, with each new pain, the memories flooded back. Each one brought with it a new intensity to the throbbing gracing his head.

He swallowed hard, reminding him just how dry his mouth was, enough so to make him almost choke. Definitely enough to throw him into a fit of coughing. Every one racked his aching ribs and jostled every inch of his body. Steve took in a deep and steadying breath through his nose, trying to calm himself. An array of scents assaulted him; the most prominent of those being the pungent aroma of blood. He nearly gagged on the strength of it, but he shoved his nausea down. The last thing he needed was add to the smells.

His eyes remained closed, but every twitch they made was like a searing prod to his left. Out of curiosity, and perhaps a bit of denial, he tried to open it. There was barely any movement and he was whimpering, turning his head to try and hide it against his shoulder. 

With that test out of the way, he slowly started to crack his working eye open. Instantly, his vision was attacked with the brightest light he thinks he’s ever seen. And that was it, all it took for the rays to overtake everything. Even if he closed his eye back, it shone through. The source was so close to his face, and now that he paid attention, it’s warmth was like a sheet over his face.

“Finally awake?”

He said nothing. The voice was familiar right away, but the way it bounced off the walls was different than he remembered. Like the room was smaller. He wiggled a bit...the chair he was strapped to, it too was different. 

“You were out for quite some time there….Mister Harrington.”

His eye snapped open, piercing light fully forgotten. “H-How...How do ya’know ma name?” he slurred, voice foriegn to him. “How the  _ fuck _ do’ou know m’name?” He was barely aware of how hard he was breathing, didn’t realize how much his chest pounded with every shuddering breath of air. 

“Nothing a little bit of digging couldn’t find. You know, we found a few other names as well.” Steve narrowed his gaze, enough that he could finally make out the man as he leaned closer, seated in a chair across from Steve, elbows on his knees. “Nancy Wheeler, does that one ring a bell? Jonathan Byers, Dustin Henderson. To name a few. You care about them, don’t you?”

“Leave them out of this,” Steve said lowly, hoping his voice was steady enough. “None’f them have anything t’do with this.”

The Russian held up one of those containers, the ones with the green substance they didn’t recognize. But remembering what it did to the floor had the teen’s throat tightening. “I can leave them out of this, but I just need you to talk.” He didn’t hesitate opening it and tilting it until the liquid touched the lip. A single drop was allowed to spill over, right onto Steve’s burnt foot. In a matter of seconds, like a sizzling bullet, it ate straight through. A scream ripped from him as he turned his attention away.

“That is but a taste of what I will do to them if you don’t start talking...now.”

“T-Th-They really...They really have nothing t’do withis,” Steve sobbed between gasped breaths. “Y-Yes, I was with one of’em, but currently, no, no-no one - Stop!” Another drop hit his foot, and just like the first, went straight through. “They have nothing to do with this!”

The man clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I don’t doubt that, Harrington, but I know someone was involved, more than just one other. All I ask for are names. And that’s it.”

“And when...I tell you?” Steve panted. “Then what? Ya’kill me? I-I’know ‘how this all goes. Het what ya want, and dump’em when you’re done with’em. Am I’right?”

The other tilted his head and pressed his lips together. “If you talk, I can promise no one else shall be harmed. That sounds like a deal to me. I know everyone you’re connected with, and I can make sure they all get pulled in and questioned. But, you can protect them, you can keep them from meeting the same fate. What do you say?”

Steve was silent. What the hell was taking so long for help to arrive? For anything to arrive? Didn’t these people have anything better to do? He wondered if they ever left his side since they first dragged him back. He had to continue to buy time, for as long as he could, even if that meant…

“There. Was. No. One. Else. Involved,” he repeated through grit teeth. “Do what’ver you gotta do, but m’answers will still be’tha same.”

There was a few seconds of silence, only broken by Steve’s ragged breaths.

“Very well.” It was so soft, so calculated that the teen was uncertain if it was even spoken or if he imagined it. 

He clapped his hands together and pushed himself to his feet. It wasn’t until then that Steve saw the two men standing behind him. He spoke to them, short spoken as he shoved between the both of them. 

“W-Where’re ya goin’?” Steve mumbled. Exhaustion was washing back over him. He never received an answer, not a glance back - nothing. The other two continued their march forward, and before he could ask anymore questions, hands were grabbing his arms, untying them, ankles too. In a matter of a minute, he was completely severed from his binds, now being hefted up by his arms. This would have been the best chance he had to fight back and make a run for it. Would have been if everything wasn’t completely drained of strength, replaced be lethargy and pain.

He slowly raised his head, just in time for one of his arms to be yanked higher above him. The stabbing fire exploding in his shoulder betrayed what happened before the cracking did. It branched, like a stream of lava down his arm. His cry was lost to him, lost in an array of other sounds and commotion.

His mind was too fuzzy to discern what all those were, but one he was sure was a siren, an alarm of sorts. Whatever it was, he couldn’t focus on it, only on the pulsing fire in his shoulder. One moment his attention was on that, the next he was aware of the fact that he was falling, the hold on him released.

Then, he hit the floor, everything a haze around him. Lights flashed, echoes traveled through his skull. There was shouting and yelling, gunshots and screaming. He couldn’t focus on a damn thing anymore, no matter how hard he tried, not a single thing would stay clear. There were more footsteps, more yelling, and then...more hands grabbing him. Panic bubbled in his chest and the base of his throat. 

Fight.

Run.

But he could do none of that. His body was spent, and it made it clear that it was done. Whatever they wanted to do to him, he obviously had no choice in the matter. And as things started to fade, he feared what he would wake up to next.


	4. Nerd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the last chapter~ Like I said, all uploaded one after another. :D Had a lot of fun with this one, so I really hope you all liked it~ I have more planned. Gonna let you guys decide what I do next. I do have a generic sickfic that I will upload after this one, but you guys can pick the next one I write. The options will be at the end. I am participating in NqaNoWriMo, so I likely wan't get any ficsw done in November, but after.
> 
> Beta read by: [DragonRiderSayomi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonRiderSayomi/pseuds/DragonRiderSayomi)
> 
> My [Tumblr](http://elillierose.tumblr.com/) for questions or concerns.

His entire body was heavy, too heavy; he couldn’t even get a finger to budge. Even the simple task of breathing was difficult, and it didn’t help that every inhale left his ribs protesting. At least it was slightly more tolerable than he remembered it being. In fact, all of the aches and pains were somewhat dulled. Not gone by a longshot, but manageable. 

Steve tried to focus on waking up completely instead of teetering on the edge. But every time he thought he was close, he’d slip right back down by a few inches. Next plan, maybe he could get his arms to cooperate if his eyes wouldn’t. First he tried with his left, but it was futile, that one refused to move a single centimeter, feeling oddly heavier than the other. Alright then, right it was. This one was easier, even if he barely made any progress with it.

All of these efforts, as small as they were, were sapping the little energy he had mustered. But he couldn’t sleep, that was the last thing he wanted to do, or not until he figured out where the hell he was. He tried opening his eyes again. The second he tried, the moment the muscles around his eyes twitched, the left let its discomfort known with a burst of stinging and burning sensations. And yet, the only sound to make it out of his sore throat was a pitiful whimper.

Instantly, he calmed slightly when something shifted next to him and something clamped over his right hand, gripping it. There was a voice; it was jumbled and warped. His heart hammered faster, and with it incessant beeps jumped to the forefront.

The hold on his hand lightened, and whatever was being said was lowered. Another touch brushed over his forehead - gently. Too carefully, in fact. 

“-ey.”

Now it was familiar. He couldn’t put a face to it, but it was a tone he recognized, one that urged him to settle down. Still, his mind raced and his blood ran cold. He wanted to run, but that was hard when he couldn’t even get his damn eyes to open. His hair continued to be brushed back and whoever they were kept talking. He was sure he heard his name somewhere in the mix. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed with him stuck in this sort of limbo, but however long it was, whoever that other person was never seemed to leave. Not that he remembered anyway. To be fair, his entire memory was a little foggy, a little all over the place, so he couldn’t be certain. Steve couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate it though. In a way, it was comforting, even if he didn’t quite know who they were. 

A little more time passed, and finally, the words were starting to clear up.

“Steve?” It was so soft - actually concerned. A low, annoyed groan left him when the hand stopped and pulled away from his head. “H-Hey, -ou ther-” It was still out of focus, decipherable, though.

He nodded, or tried to. There was no telling how well the motion translated. He supposed it did well enough because the hand began to rake through his hair again in that same, comforting manner. It was time to try again. He steeled himself, and using every ounce of willpower he had, he tried to open his eyes again. It only took a second for him to stop when the pain in his left screamed at him to stop. 

Another whine must have escaped because the shushing was all he could hear; and the hand slipped down to cup his face. 

“Easy...cal- own.”

Steve took a deep breath and held it. No, he had to see. This time, he only tired with his right. Already, it was much easier, much less painful. He had this. He got it open a sliver. He expected to instantly be blinded, but was pleasantly surprised to find the lighting somewhat low. It was still bright, but not so much so to cause him to wince away.

“Hey, you with me?” 

It was a slow process, much harder than it should have been as his gaze drifted to his right, finally falling on a farm sitting next to him. He barely paid attention to his surroundings, only on the person there. And his eye narrowed to clear things up.

“R’bin?” he croaked, flinching from the lack of use. His hand pulled out from under hers to grip at his throat. There, it wandered a little higher until it touched plastic tubing. Then a little more, closer to his left eye only for it to slide over thick gauze. He didn’t get to investigate further when his hand was torn away and pushed back to his side.

“Yeah, it’s me,” she confirmed, hand back over his, holding it there.

He blinked heavily, now taking in a real look around him. This definitely wasn’t an evil Russian base anymore. Or he hoped to God it wasn’t, that would mean she was stuck there too. It couldn’t have been, the smell was all wrong, and he wasn’t tied to anything. In fact, this was far more comfortable by comparison. 

His jaw clenched and relaxed a few times. “Wha’appened?” he slurred. She was smart, she would be able to figure out what he was trying to say.

She didn’t speak for a few moments and averted her gaze. “Steve, uh, well, long story short, everything’s over. Bad guy is dead, Russians arrested, and the military was able to drag you out before they did anything else to you. I would go more into detail but,” she jabbed a thumb towards the wires stuck in his arm, “they got you on the good stuff, so I doubt you’ll remember much.” 

“Is ever’one alright?” He blinked a few times, trying his damnedest not to fall back asleep.

She nodded, but in case his sight wasn’t the best right now, she also muttered a soft, “Yeah, we’re all fine.” He didn’t need to know everything just yet. “And thanks to you, the three of us managed to get out unscathed.” 

Robin tried her best to hide it, and Steve would never say anything, but it was clear in her voice. The slight wavering giving way to her worry. On the verge of tears, he had no doubt. “Good,” he breathed out. “Glad you’re’ll alright.”

The grip on his hand tightened slightly. “Yeah, we’re all alright. Now, go back to sleep, dingus.”

Why he wanted to be so stubborn right now, he didn’t know, but he let his head fall to the side in a sad attempt at shaking it. “Not righ’now.”

“Steve,” she said sternly.

“Wha? Just...Jus’lemme…” he exhaled heavily with a small wince. Sluggishly, he scanned the room. “Where’s Dust’n?”

Robin glanced back towards the door. “He was here, but he already left to go home. It’s pretty late. But he’s coming back tomorrow. You’ve, um, you’ve been asleep for a few days. We were honestly expecting it to be a little longer before you woke up, so I sent him home. That kid really likes you doesn’t he. You know, he barely left all this time. Had to practically force the idiot to go get a shower.”

Steve smiled softly at that, ignoring the stiffness in his face. “Yeah, lil’shit.” A light chuckle was barely able to make its way out before he sucked it right back in. “Sonuva…” he hissed.

“Yeah, might wanna be careful, have a few messed up ribs in there.”

‘I could’ve told you that,’ he thought bitterly, trying to control his breathing. He watched the other, saw the way she seemed to avoid really looking at him. She was always looking just past him. Either that or she had her attention towards the floor.

“Waz wrong?” he asked, trying to lift his hand. But it only got a couple inches before it dropped back to the sheets.

She jolted slightly and shook her head. “Nothing, it’s nothing.” Sure as hell didn’t look like nothing. Steve kept his gaze on her. Especially the dark circles under her eyes. “Hey,” he rasped and cleared his throat. “When was th’last time ya’slept?” 

Robin offered him a half shrug. “I dunno, but that doesn’t matter. I’m fine.” She gave his hand a firm squeeze. “Really, I’m fine, we’re fine. So, just stop worrying about us and worry about yourself.”

Steve slowly nodded, so as not to irritate his still throbbing head. He didn’t miss the way she glanced him over though, nor the way her expression fell more and more the longer she looked. “Hey, hey,” he muttered. “It’s’not as bad’s it looks.” She raised an eyebrow and offered a small smirk. “Honestly. Can barely even feelit.” Now it was her time to shake her head with a quiet laugh. “Thanks.”

“For?”

“Ya’know. Puttin’ up with me at work, down there, and ‘ere righ’now.” He drew in a careful, uneven breath and tried to pull himself up a little straighter. He should have known better than to try. Robin didn’t even need to put a light hand on his good shoulder to stop him, wasn’t like he was going to get far either way. “Maybe Dustin’as the righ’idea.”

Robin pressed her lips together and furrowed her brows. “Right idea about what?”

Steve hummed and dropped his gaze. “That I uh, need to ‘find my Suzie,’” he whispered. “Had th’right idea ‘bout you. But m’jus a dumbass still holdin’ onto bullshit.”

“Steve...what the hell are you talking about?”

He didn’t answer right away, just stared, eye starting to dull. Right when she thought he was about to fall asleep, he spoke, almost inaudibly, “I think he was right. Robin, you’re actually pr’tty cool, ya’know? And I dunno why it’ook so long for me t’realize this,bu-”

“Steve, that’s enough,” Robin interrupted, tone unusually light. “Y-You’re not thinking straight. That’s the morphine talking, trust me. You’ve been through a lot, you’re quite frankly a mess. So just stop talking, alright?”

He slowly shook his head. “N-No, I’m thinkin’ perfectly clear, clear’r than ever.” He tried to keep his attention straight on her, but that was growing more difficult by the second as the image blurred. “I-m’thinkin...fine…” He blinked heavily, eyelid getting heavier. Dammit, why was it so hard to stay awake. 

“Go to sleep, I promise I’ll still be here when you wake up.” She placed her hand back on his cheek, and he leaned into it, already drifting off. Her thumb ran gently along his cheek bone, careful not to agitate the bruises. “Just get some rest, we can talk more when you’re feeling better.” There was just a light huff that left him and his head fell completely against her palm. 

* * *

Already, it was obvious waking up this time was going to go a lot more smoothly. Almost as soon as he was aware enough, sounds were clear enough and he was already able to move his right arm - the left, not so much. The pain though, that was much the same, which made the whole waking up thing that much easier. His jaw tensed and right hand curled as more of his senses returned fully. 

Just like earlier, there was muttering, like two people talking. They were loud, and close. Too loud for his liking. His eye twitched and slowly cracked open. Through a bleary veil, he cut his attention over to the forms sitting across from one another.

“‘Ey,” he rasped, wincing at the rough sound, “C’n ya keep’t down?”

“Steve!” Damn, that definitely was no quieter. The teen flinched, hissing as the shout pierced his head. “Sorry,” Dustin whispered, hands up in defense. “Steve, you’re awake. Jeez man, you nearly scared all of us, you know that?” Without missing a beat, the kid sauntered over and leaned heavily on the bed. “Dude, when they carried you out of there, we thought you were dead.” He took a deep breath, his excitement diminishing. “We really thought…”

Steve lifted - flopped - his good hand on the kid’s head and weakly ruffled his hair. “Hey, knock’t off. M’alive, aren’t I?” He drew in a shuddering breath and slowly released it. 

Dustin’s expression remained the same. “That’s not the point, Steve.” Now it was his turn to sigh. “You’re a dumbass, you know that?”

Steve’s glanced at Robin. “...So’ve heard.” 

“You could’ve gotten yourself killed down there. Almost did, look at yourself. Literally half of you works right now.” He relaxed his shoulders a bit and closed his eyes for a moment. “Sorry, we were just worried. We were afraid we would lose you because you stayed back for our sake, and the guilt was there, an-”

“Dustin,” Steve cut off, “I get it.” His hand fell heavily back to the bed. “It was dumb, I know, but all’ve you had to get out and it was a spur of the moment. It’was all I could think of t’do.”

Dustin rolled his eyes in exaggeration. “I dunno, but maybe next time try not to sacrifice yourself.”

“First’ve all, like hell there’ll be a next time. Second, Imma protect you little pain in the asses if I hafta. You all’ave others to get back to, waiting for you, so if that means putting ya’ll first, then damn right Imma do it again.”

Dustin went dead silent, lips pressed tightly together. “You say that like you don’t.” His words were quiet, firm. His insides twisted when Steve just turned his head away and wrapped his good arm around himself. “Do you have any idea how worried we were leaving you down there? We wanted to go back, I tried to. But we couldn’t.” He took a deep breath and turned around while running a hand through his curls. “Jesus, man.”

Steve was still silent, still gazing off in the opposite direction. His breathing hitched here and there, and it was clear he wanted to say something, but nothing ever made its way out. Then, eventually, once the quiet started to really seap in, he shook his head with a bitter chuckle and turned his head back around.

“Look, all...all I’m saying is,” he waved a hand, searching his brain for the right words. Instead, he just sighed heavily. “It’s just, you guys have your friends waitin’ for you, your families, alright?” Unsteadily, he dragged his hand down the right side of his face. “And I know, I know, you guys are m’friends and all, I know you care, I know. It’s just….” he trailed off again. “It’s just, certain people come first, there’re people who would be more upset if you’ll were gone. Und-rstand?”

“Oh, shut your goddamn mouth!” Robin stepped forward, practically shoving Dustin out of the way. “I am so sick of hearing your moping, Harrington. And I don’t want to hear another damn word about how everyone would be all hunky dory over you dying. Alright? No one would prefer that,  _ we _ wouldn’t prefer that.” She planted both hands on the edge of the bed and leaned forward, face a few inches from his. “Listen to me because I’m not going to repeat this. I may give you a lot of shit, but I wouldn’t do that with someone I didn’t genuinely care about. I don’t want to sling ice cream with anyone else. So remember that next time you think your own life doesn’t have a priority.”

Steve’s mouth was firmly pressed and his breathing halted. But, there was something in his eye, something the others only saw a glimpse of before he lowered his gaze. He didn’t say a word - couldn’t, but he gave a solid nod.

“Good,” she said softly, pulling herself away to cross her arms. Glancing back, Robin offered Dustin a small smile, who was standing in the back now, eyes slightly widened, looking between the two of them. Well, not what he expected, but he supposed it got the point across well enough. 

“Damn…” he muttered, but was unable to hide his amusement.

Robin merely shrugged. “Sometimes you just need a little tough love to get through a thick skull.” She offered Steve a warmer smile at that. Still, she couldn’t stop it from faltering when her attention landed on his left eye again. Out of all the injuries, that was the one she just couldn’t shake. She couldn’t get it out of her head, seeing the mess it was when they dragged him back up. Nor hearing that he’d never see out of it again.

She tried to suppress her shudder, but failed miserably.

“Cold?” Steve asked. “Not surprised, they keep it cold enough to house penguins in ‘ere.” 

“Yeah, I’m fine though,” she assured. “How are you feeling though? Does, uh, does anything hurt, or need me to get anyone or anything?”

Steve snorted lightly. “Yeah, could use somethin’, but you’ll tell me no. Other than that, it’s better than it was.” He tried to laugh only for it to be cut off with a slight whine. “Oh, shit,” he muttered, arm wrapping tightly around his ribs. “Ok, note t’self, don’ do that.” He took a slow and steady breath and gradually released his hold. Steve caught the concerned stares of the others. “Fine, m’good,” he half weezed. 

“You sure?” Dustin asked.

“Mmhm.”

After a few minutes, he was able to regain full composure and gave them a weak thumbs up. He exhaled gradually. “Alright, it’s good now.” He shifted carefully, being reminded of the various equipment they had strewn about. “Damn, a bit overkill,” he muttered. “When the hell can I get out of here?” He dropped his head back with a huff.

Robin dipped her head with a chuckle. “Chill, it’s only been a couple days, and they just want to keep you for a few more. Make sure there aren’t more loose screws than usual.”

“Yeah, your head took a bit of a beating, I wasn’t sure you’d still know your own name,” Dustin said, brows raised. “So far, so good though. They say things should progress fine and if there’s no other complications, then you’re free to leave in a few days. But, you know, with some of the, um, damage sustained, they want to make sure there’s no infection and stuff.”

“Right.”

“But not to worry,” Dustin continued, sounding far more enthusiastic than he has all day, “the guys agreed to come over later for your first DnD lesson. Figured you’d be getting bored here, and we discussed it, and we think it only fair to make you an honorary party member.”

Steve’s brow twitched. “But, I thought you guys had all you needed.”

Dustin rolled his eyes.”I mean, yeah, we don’t  _ need _ anyone else to be quite honest. But there isn’t exactly a limit, either. Besides, we don’t exactly have a fighter in our party.” He shrugged, corner of his mouth turned. “So, what do you say? Want to be our fighter?”

Finally, a real smile tugged at the teen’s features. “Why the hell not. Not like I have anythin’ better to do up here.”

The kid’s face lit up. “Alright, welcome to the party, nerd.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this fic! Again, I had too much fun with it. But now I have a question. Which prompt do you guys want next"
> 
> 1) Billy rematch. This would be after Steve hit Billy's car to stop him.
> 
> 2) A car crash. This won't be set in any particular season, but mostly likely somewhere between 2 and 3.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and don't forget to lemme know what you think so far. ^-^


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